Plant Extracts as Aphrodisiacs

Scores of wild animals such as tigers, rhinoceros, and seals are illegally slaughtered in the continents of Asia and Africa to fuel a growing demand for aphrodisiacs. This demand is primarily in South East Asia and the Far East where powders and potions made from animal parts are used as aphrodisiacs. The claims made by vendors of these aphrodisiacs have never been scientifically validated yet the demand for such products is on the rise. Various measures are being taken to curb the poaching of wildlife and to cut down on the sale of such products but nothing is being done to stem the raison d’être of this trade: the demand for aphrodisiacs. Perhaps if some alternative means of producing aphrodisiacs was actually discovered that did not involve animal parts, the indiscriminate slaughter of wild animals could be stopped.

The solution may lie in the traditional medical texts of countries such as India and China. In Ayurveda, the traditional system of Indian medicine, a number of plants have been mentioned as possessing aphrodisiacal properties. Even the traditional system of Chinese medicine mentions the existence of such plants. In all, there are twenty eight plants that are thought to possess aphrodisiacal properties. These plants grow in India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Some of these plants are the Kawaanch (Mucuna prurita pruriens), the Sweet Potato (Ipomoea mauritiana), the Crepe Ginger (Costus speciosus), and the leaf of the Betel plant.

What is now required is a concentrated scientific study of these plants in order to determine their properties as an aphrodisiac. Once all the trials and tests have been done, these plants can they be synthesized into various potions and pills and sold over the counter. This would stop the demand for animal based aphrodisiacs and greatly help in curbing the illegal trade in animal parts.